New overnight safe study service said to be a hit with students

By all accounts a major late-night safe study pilot project involving
a number of campus units in December was a great success.

U of S Community Safety Manager Janice Lavoie, who co-ordinated the initiative,
says feedback from participating students, workers and volunteers who
helped out suggests the service was appreciated and there were no problems.

Janice Lavoie

“We’re thrilled with how it went, and I’ve been told
by the campus administration to make it a regular event every December
and April (during final exams),” Lavoie says.

She says the expanded new project was built on an excellent late-night
study service offered by the campus chaplains for the past 25 years. It
had been offered variously in Lower Place Riel, Upper MUB, and for the
past couple of years in the basement of Saskatchewan Hall.

The former chaplain-run service closed at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., but the new
service offers full overnight safe studying.

“This year, with safety concerns at the forefront, the University
joined with the chaplains and USSU (the U of S Students’ Union)
to turn this into a bigger initiative in a more central location,”
Lavoie says.

For 16 consecutive nights – Dec. 6-21 – from late-evening
when the Main Library closed, through to morning when the Library opened
again, students were invited to find space anywhere in the two floors
of the Arts classroom wing to study.

Lavoie notes the area offers a number of classrooms, a computer lab, washrooms
and a student lounge.

As a partner in the project, USSU provided Student Crew staff, who patrolled
the area at all times. They had two-way radios which they could use to
contact the Campus Safety Department. In addition, Campus Safety officers
occasionally came through the Arts classroom wing.

Lavoie says for an added sense of security for everyone, the classroom
doors were all kept open, and the men’s and women’s washroom
doors were removed.

“While safety is the priority for this initiative, we also wanted
to provide fellowship and community for students while they studied,”
Lavoie says. So, for example, free snacks and drinks were provided by
Food Services and sometimes by Louis’. And if exam stress became
a problem, chaplains were on-hand or students could be referred to counselling
or other campus services.

“We’re extremely pleased with the turnout and the feedback
from students,” Lavoie says.

During a few peak times there were close to 70 students in the safe-study
area, and she says it was obvious that some students did move to the area
from the Library after the Library closed. The Library let its users know
the overnight service was available.

“From everything I’ve seen, there were no issues arising from
the project, and students were grateful for the expanded service,”
Lavoie says.